It can be hard being so far from the action at this time of year for Antipodean lovers of kitsch stage directions, pyrotechnics and, ahem, interesting costumes, which is why the Eurovision house party can help lessen the tyranny of distance.

Julia Zemiro in Copenhagen to cover Eurovision.

The giddily camp annual extravaganza is an annual highlight in my house, and I have unashamedly dressed as a gypsy, raided the Ikea food hall and made European flags in my quest to convert sceptical friends to the contest's quirky charms.

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Thinking of hosting your own Eurotrash-tastic party during the finals, which begin on SBS on Friday and reach their apotheosis on Sunday? We spoke to Eurovision insiders and fellow tragics for some tips on food, drink and drinking games.

For Julia Zemiro, now in the Danish capital Copenhagen to host her sixth annual tackfest, Eurovision is a chance to try something new. ''If you don't like pickled herring, too bad.'' Zemiro thinks it's best to stick with one cuisine as a theme. ''You could do one where you go, 'Where would we like to go next year?' Italy would be amazing, because we all love Italian food.''

But this year, Zemiro is looking forward to the Danish speciality smorrebrod - open ryebread sandwiches with various toppings. ''You have to have them with beer and a little shot of schnapps on the side.''

Danish-born chef Bente Grysbaek, of Melbourne's Restaurant Dansk, suggests serving a spread of smorrebrod. ''They're very decorative and they look beautiful. You have some warm and some cold, so it's something you can have on the table throughout the evening.''

Danes are also keen on hotdogs made with pork sausages - pork products are one of Denmark's biggest exports - served with an array of condiments, including tomato sauce, mustard, raw onion, pickled cucumber, fried shallots or onion rings and remoulade, a tartare sauce-like condiment combining mayonnaise and vegetables pickled with mustard seeds and turmeric.

For dessert, Grysbaek suggests a selection of Danish pastries, wienerbrod, with fillings such as custard, raspberry, or apple and cinnamon.

Another party approach is to embrace an Australian tradition by asking guests to bring a plate for a pan-European party.

Growing up in Dublin, Colin Fassnidge, of Sydney's Four in Hand, remembers a sense of Irish pride during Ireland's winning run in the '80s. Fassnidge would recreate the Eurovision party food of his childhood. ''I'd do prawn cocktail [and] cheese on a toothpick. I'd go really naff.'' For an Irish-inspired canape, he suggests slices of corned beef and pickles on cheese crackers.

OTHER TIPS

● Set up your food on a table away from the television so guests can come and go as they please. Reserve an area for drinking games.

● Create your own drinking game. Write a list of 10 things to watch out for. Suggestions: contestants wearing white, a boring ballad, pyrotechnics, falsetto, metallic costumes, wind machines, rotating platforms, a disco ball, a wink to the camera. Try to get sloshed before the first song has been judged, or simply have a drink for Zemiro and her co-host, Sam Pang - the stadium commentary box is officially and inexplicably a dry zone.

● Organise a sweep or bet on the outcome. It makes the tedious vote-counting section much more exciting if you're cheering on a country.

● Award prizes for guests' costumes.

● Spoiler alert: SBS broadcasts the event on delay, so if you want the outcome to remain a secret, you will need to avoid social media and news broadcasts for 24 hours leading up to Sunday's final.

10 comments

Remember that Eurovision is the Gay Men's World Cup, so please respect the traditional owners. Fly a rainbow flag from the roof, hang a disco ball in porch. Guys, take your cue from the Austrian entry and frock up - no need to shave. Down a shot for every chest-baring twink, lipstick lesbian, same-sex snog, anyone singing barefoot, double for every half-naked male dancer desperately thrusting himself in front of the camera and making what he thinks is a sexy face. The appearance of a voluptuous woman in voluminous white drapery belting her heart out in the teeth of a gale signals a toilet break (not permitted at any other time).

Commenter

Doug

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 06, 2014, 7:33AM

Thank you, I'm hosting a Eurovision party and was lacking inspiration I was planning of having nibbles from each ( or nearly each country) but I'm loving your karrysild recommendation, so I'm thinking Danish all the way....Euro food, Euro drinks and Euro music perfect night. Dancing around the living room.Ax

Commenter

Agnetha wannabe

Location

Canberra

Date and time

May 06, 2014, 1:35PM

I am hosting a eurovision party, each guest has been assigned a country and need to bring a drink associated with the country.

Commenter

Kylies

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 06, 2014, 9:21PM

I’ll be going to a friend’s place to watch Eurovision with some close girlfriends. We will all be bringing a plate to share and I am currently tossing up between a Viennese apple strudel with vanilla custard, or pear profiteroles drizzled with caramel sauce. If time permits, I might whip up both :)

Commenter

JC

Location

Date and time

May 08, 2014, 11:03AM

Hosting a Eurovision party and everyone brings a plate. We do our own Eurovision style vote (minus the political bias!) on the dishes and the person who made the winning dish gets the honour of hosting the Eurovision party next year.

Commenter

Caramello

Location

Date and time

May 08, 2014, 2:33PM

I will be bringing some Italian style parmesan polenta chips. Cheesy, corny and much like the Eurovision competition, they are strangely addictive.

I had a friend that would host a Eurovision party each year. There was a drinking game linked in with the broadcast. I don't remember how it worked, but we all woke up with a hangover. Always a great night and lots of laughs!!

Commenter

SG

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 08, 2014, 4:45PM

Anticipated by many, the annual Eurovision party is an opportunity to show off both culinary skills and sartorial flair. With Copenhagen the cost city in 2014 the menu will be decidedly Danish: Frikadeller meat balls, smørrebrød with roast beef and shredded horseradish harvested fresh from my garden, roast pork with red cabbage dressed with orange and smoked salmon with dill from the garden too. Guests traditionally bring dessert and pre-dinner nibbles – on theme with creamy Danish blue, smoked cheese and an array of Danish pastries. Everyone dons outlandishly naff euro-trash costumes – think sequins, birkenstocks, lycra, lederhosen, one year we even had Queen Elizabeth show up! It’s sure to be an evening of delicious food and much mirth!

Commenter

QN

Location

Date and time

May 08, 2014, 4:46PM

I will be bringing a Eurovision pizza, it's saucy like the Swiss entry and a guilty pleasure.